17 human skulls found buried in metal boxes at alleged shrine in Uganda – Firstpost

Four human skulls wrapped in plastic and aluminum foil are seen during a National Guard inspection inside a package bound for the United States at a courier company located at the Querétaro Intercontinental Airport, in Querétaro, Mexico in this photo issued on December 30, 2022. File Photo

Seventeen human skulls buried in metal boxes have been unearthed in an underground chamber at a suspected shrine in central Uganda, police told AFP on Tuesday.

Children searching for firewood on the outskirts of Kabanga village near the town of Mpigi, about 40 kilometers (24 miles) west of the capital Kampala, made the gruesome discovery on Sunday, according to local residents.

Shocked and worried villagers told police there were metal boxes containing what appeared to be skulls in an underground chamber beneath one of three ruined shrines on a quiet hillside.

“We moved quickly and excavated the site, and so far we have recovered 17 human skulls,” regional police spokesman Majid Karim told AFP.

“We are conducting further excavations to ensure that there are no more skulls apart from those we have recovered so far,” he said.

He added that the remains, discovered in four boxes, are being examined to determine their age and sex, as well as when they may have been buried.

He urged the public to remain calm as officers work to investigate the incident.

It is unclear how the skulls ended up at the site, located on a steep hill that has prevented the use of heavy machinery, slowing the search.

“Our concern is that if the police have recovered the skulls, where could the rest of the body parts be, like the legs, the hands?” Mubumbi, a father of four, told AFP.

“We are in shock. We never expected this to happen in our neighborhood,” he said.

Local media reported that residents said people had previously gathered at the site to worship.

Police said the alleged owner of the site is on the run, having been linked to a separate case involving the murder of a prominent Baganda traditional leader, businessman Daniel Bbosa.

The killing in Kampala was reportedly carried out by hired gunmen as Bbosa was returning home from work in February this year.

Mpigi district, although densely populated, remains semi-rural and agriculture dominates local trade.

Coffee and bananas are the main cash crops and staple foods, and there is a major road linking the villages to the neighbouring countries of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania.

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